La Sandia at Cork Bar

Whether serving a River Walk visitor or a regular from City Hall, Hector Vargas knows those stopping in at Hotel Contessa’s Cork Bar in July are usually in search of one thing: relief from the heat. So along with traditional cocktails, Vargas mixes an array of summertime treats, including his La Sandia, which includes watermelon and San Antonio spirit Cinco Vodka. “It’s like an aguas frescas—but with alcohol,” Vargas says. The key to a well-balanced La Sandia—not too sweet and not too bland—is measuring the ingredients precisely, says Vargas. “Every time I make a drink there’s a part of me going in there,” he says. “I have a passion for making other people happy.”